China launched its fifth satellite as part of its GPS satellite navigation system, with BeiDou-2 IGSO-1 placed into orbit via the CZ-3A Chang Zheng-3A (CZ3A-17/Y16) launch vehicle. Launch from the Xi Chang Satellite Launch Center, in Sichuan Province occured at 5:30am local time on Sunday.

The satellite that was launched is the first BeiDou-2 IGSO (Inclined GSO) satellite of the system. This constellation of satellites will eventually consist of 35 vehicles, including 27 MEO satellites, 5 GSO satellites and 3 IGSO. The satellites will transmit signals on the following carrier frequencies: 1195.14-1219.14 MHz, 1256.52-1280.52 MHz, 1559.05-1563.15 MHz and 1587.69-1591.79 MHz, notably overlaying the Galileo PRS band and the GPS M-code.


The Compass Navigation Satellite System (CNSS) is China’s second-generation satellite navigation system capable of providing continuous, real-time passive 3D geo-spatial positioning and speed measurement.

The system will initially used to provide high-accuracy positioning services for users in China and its neighboring regions, covering an area of about 120 degrees longitude in the Northern Hemisphere. The long-term goal is to develop a global navigation satellite network similar to the GPS and GLONASS.

Like their American and Russian counterparts, CNSS will have two types of services; a civilian service that will provide an accuracy of 10 meters in the user position, 0.2 m/s on the user velocity and 50 nanoseconds in time accuracy; and the military and authorized users service, providing greater accuracy.

The first phase of the project will provide for the coverage of the Chinese territory, ahead of the future use of the Compass constellation for the entire globe.

Previous BeiDou satellites were launched on October 30, 2000 ‘BeiDou-1A’ (Catalogue Number: 26599 International Designation: 2000-069A); December 20, 2000 ‘BeiDou-1B’ (26643 2000-082A); May 24, 2003 ‘BeiDou-1C’ (27813 2003-021A); February 2, 2007 ‘BeiDou-1D’ (30323 2007-003A); April 13, 2007 ‘BeiDou-2 Compass-M1′ (31115 2007-011A); April 14, 2009 ‘BeiDou-2 Compass-G2′ (34779 2009-018A), January 16 ‘BeiDou-2 Compass-G1′ (36287 2010-001A) and June 2, 1010 ‘BeiDou-2 Compass-G3′ (36590 2010-024A).

China used their CZ-3A Chang Zheng-3A launch vehicle to loft BeiDou-2 IGSO-1 uphill. The CZ-3A is a large-scale three-stage liquid launch vehicle, which has inherited the matured technology of the CZ-3 Chang Zheng-3.

An upgraded liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen cryogenic third stage has been developed to enable CZ-3A performing greater geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) capability. The CZ-3A is equipped with a more flexible and sophisticated control system which supports substantial attitude adjustments to orient the payloads before spacecraft separation and provides adjustable satellite spin-up rotation rate.

It has paved the way for the development of CZ-3B Chang Zheng-3B and CZ-3C Chang Zheng-3C, and become the workhorse of GTO launches for China.

The CZ-3A can also be used for LEO, SSO and polar orbit missions, as well as dual-launch and multiple-launch missions. The launch capacity of the CZ-3A to GTO is 2.650 kg, the lift-off mass is 241.000 kg, the overall length is 52.5 meters, the diameter of first stage and second stage is 3.35 meters, the diameter of third stage is 3.0 meters, and the maximum fairing diameter is 3.35 meters.

The first stage and second stage of CZ-3A employ storable propellants, i.e. unsymmetrical dimethy1 hydrazine (UDMH) and nitrogen tetroxide (N2O4), and the third stage uses cryogenic propellants, i.e. liquid hydrogen (LH2) and liquid oxygen (LOX).

On the first stage, the CZ-3A uses a DaFY6-2 engine with a 2961.6 kN thrust, while the second stage is equipped with a DaFY20-1 main engine (742 kN) and four DaFY21-1 vernier engines (11.8 kN each). The third stage is equipped with two YF-75 engines (78.5 kN each).

The fairing diameter of the CZ-3A is 3,35 meters and has a length of 8.89 meters.

CZ-3A consists of rocket structure, propulsion system, control system, telemetry system, tracking and safely system, coast phase propellant management and attitude control system, cryogenic propellant utilization system, separation system and auxiliary system, etc.

The CZ-3A has a 100 percent launch success rate since its maiden flight on February 8, 1994 when it successfully launched two experimental satellites. And it was awarded the ‘Gold Launch Vehicle’ title by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation in June 2007.

China used a CZ-3A to successfully launch the Chang’e-1 lunar satellite on October 24, 2007, which indicated that has taken a substantial step for lunar exploration.

This was the 125th successful Chinese orbital launch, the 124th launch of a Chang Zheng launch vehicle, the 54th successful orbital launch from the Xi Chang Satellite Launch Center, the third successful orbital launch from the Xi Chang in 2010 and the fifth successful orbital launch from China in 2010.

Equipped with two launch pads (LC2 and LC3), the centre has a dedicated railway and highway lead directly to the launch site. The Command and Control Centre is located seven kilometers south-west of the launch pad, providing flight and safety control during launch rehearsal and launch.

Other facilities on the Xi Chang Satellite Launch Centre are the Launch Control Centre, propellant fuelling systems, communications systems for launch command, telephone and data communications for users, and support equipment for meteorological monitoring and forecasting.

The first launch from Xi Chang took place at 12:25UTC on January 29, 1984, when the CZ-3 Chang Zheng-3 (CZ3-1) launched the Shiyan Weixing (14670 1984-008A) communications satellite into orbit. The launch of the new BeiDou-2 satellite was the 52nd successful orbital launch from Xi Chang.

Source : NASASpaceFlight.com

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from: RussiaToday
Russia is monitoring the wreckage of two communications satellites that collided in space above Siberia. NASA says neither the earth nor the International Space Station are at risk from the debris of the Russian and American satellites. But what caused the accident and whos to blame?

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Thank you for PR "10 facts about me!" from my best friend Knowvie

10 things about black holes :

1) It’s not their mass, it’s their size that makes them so strong.
2) They’re not infinitely small.
3) They’re spheres. And they’re definitely not funnel shaped.
4) Black holes can spin!
5) Near a black hole, things get weird
6) Approaching a black hole can kill you in fun ways. And by fun, I mean gruesome, horrifying, and really really ookie.
7) Black holes aren’t always dark
8) Black holes aren’t always dangerous.
9) Black holes can get big.
10) Black holes can be low density.
Image credit: NASA/CXC

from : discovermagazine

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Oct. 24, 2008 - Vandenberg AFB.The third spacecraft for Italy's home-grown Earth observing system, a constellation of radar satellites built for civil and military reconnaissance, received a successful boost into orbit Friday by an American ULA Delta 2 rocket.

Rocket: Delta 2 (7420)
Payload: COSMO 3
Date: Oct. 24, 2008
Time: 7:28 p.m. PDT (10:28 p.m. EDT)
Site: SLC-2W, Vandenberg Air Force Base, California
Broadcast: AMC 16, Transponder 22, Ku-band

The third spacecraft for Italy's home-grown Earth observing system, a constellation of radar satellites built for civil and military reconnaissance, received a successful boost into orbit Friday by an American Delta 2 rocket.

The COSMO-SkyMed spacecraft roared away from the Vandenberg Air Force Base launch pad precisely on time at 7:28:25 p.m. local (10:28:25 p.m. EDT; 0228:25 GMT).


With its two sister-satellites circling the planet in formation, COSMO 3 had only a split second launch opportunity Friday night to get airborne and ensure its proper placement into the orbiting network.

And the United Launch Alliance Delta 2 delivered, collecting its 84th straight success.

The two stages and four side-mounted boosters of the 12-story rocket did their jobs during the hour-long ascent that extended half-way around the globe, ultimately deploying the 4,200-pound payload into a 335-nautical mile orbit.

Developed by Thales Alenia Space Italia for the Italian Space Agency and the Italian Ministry of Defence, the COSMO-SkyMed system is a flagship program with a 1 billion euro price tag.

"The proudness of the Italian parties is very, very high because the COSMO-SkyMed is the biggest space program realized in Italy," said Sandro Fagioli, vice president of Thales Alenia Space and general manager of the COSMO-SkyMed program.

"The design, the project, the technology is entirely Italian, 100 percent Italian."

Each satellite is equipped with an X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar instrument for environmental monitoring, resource management and territorial security surveillance. They are capable of seeing the ground in daylight or darkness, with clear skies or cloudy ones.

The craft can produce 450 images per day, and Fagioli said the picture-collecting time between civil and military uses is proportional to the financial contributions made during development of the system. The Italian Space Agency funded about 70 percent and the Ministry of Defence provided about 30 percent.

Imagery released for civilian purposes have a resolution of 1 meter, meaning objects as small as that size can be seen. "The military application is a lot under a meter, but I cannot give the exact number because it is classified," Fagioli said.

Adding this third satellite into the constellation will enable operators to begin tandem observations that image the same area but at different angles. The result will be high-resolution three-dimensional images.

"We can make more-precise maps of the world," Fagioli said. "We can increase the accuracy."

The satellites already proved themselves beneficial to humanitarian organizations responding to recent natural disasters, such as Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar, the devastating earthquake in China and Hurricanes Hannah and Ike that hit Haiti.

Once the constellation is completed in 2010, any specific region of the planet will be observed by the COSMO satellites every six hours, Fagioli said. That will allow authorities "to first understand, then arrange actions" when disasters strike.

The first two COSMO satellites were lofted into space by Delta 2 rockets in June and December 2007, respectively, and launch managers hoped Friday's third success would seal the deal to perform the fourth satellite-deployment mission in 2010.

"We do have more Deltas to sell," said Kris Walsh, ULA's director of NASA and commercial programs for the Delta rocket.

"I truly believe we are the preferred supplier, and hopefully we'll be able to make an announcement in the near-term," said Ken Heinly, Boeing Launch Services president. "We have an excellent working routine with the Italian agencies."

"We are working in order to negotiate the contract with Boeing to launch the fourth satellite," Fagioli said. "It is very probable that we will reach the agreement in a very short time. But until now, (we've) not yet signed the contract."

"Right now, the launch window we are looking at is between February and July of 2010," Heinly added.

Friday's launch was the fifth and final Delta 2 mission of the year. A pair of launches from Cape Canaveral took place in March and June, then a busy string of three flights from Vandenberg followed in the last four months.

The next launch will occur from the West Coast, too. The rocket will begin on-pad assembly in early December for a planned February 4 liftoff carrying the NOAA-N Prime civilian weather satellite for the U.S. government. The spacecraft is slated for delivery to Vandenberg on November 4, arriving from the Lockheed Martin manufacturing factory in Sunnyvale, California. From : http://www.spaceflightnow.com/, By JUSTIN RAY

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PSLV-C11 Successfully Launches Chandrayaan-1

In its fourteenth flight conducted from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota October 22, 2008, the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO's) Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, PSLV-C11, successfully launched the 1380 kg Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft into a transfer orbit with a perigee (nearest point to Earth) of 255 km and an apogee (farthest point to Earth) of 22,860 km, inclined at an angle of 17.9 deg to the equator.

After a 52 hour count down, PSLV-C11 lifted off from the Second Launch Pad at SDSC SHAR at 06:22 Hrs Indian Standard Time (IST) with the ignition of the core first stage. The important flight events included the separation of the first stage, ignition of the second stage, separation of the payload fairing at about 116 km altitude after the vehicle had cleared the dense atmosphere, second stage separation, third stage ignition, third stage separation, fourth stage ignition and fourth stage cut-off.

PSLV-C11 is the uprated version of ISRO's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle in its standard configuration. Weighing 320 tonnes at lift-off, the vehicle uses larger strap-on motors (PSOM-XL) to achieve higher payload capability. PSOM-XL uses 12 tonnes of solid propellants instead of 9 tonnes used in the earlier configuration of PSLV. PSLV is a four stage launch vehicle employing both solid and liquid propulsion stages. PSLV is the trusted workhorse launch Vehicle of ISRO. During 1993-2008 period, PSLV had fourteen launches of which thirteen (including today's launch) are consecutively successful. PSLV has repeatedly proved its reliability and versatility by launching 30 spacecraft (14 Indian and 16 for international customers) into a variety of orbits so far.

Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Thiruvananthapuram, designed and developed PSLV. ISRO Inertial Systems Unit (IISU) at Thiruvananthapuram developed the inertial systems. The Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), also at Thiruvananthapuram, developed the liquid propulsion stages for the second and fourth stages of PSLV as well as reaction control systems. SDSC SHAR processed the solid propellant motors and carried out launch operations. ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) provided telemetry, tracking and command support.

Chandrayaan-1 is India's first spacecraft mission beyond Earth's orbit. It aims to further expand our knowledge about Earth's only natural satellite - the moon. With well-defined objectives, Chandrayaan-1 mission intends to put an unmanned spacecraft into an orbit around the moon and to perform remote sensing of our nearest celestial neighbour for about two years using eleven scientific instruments built in India and five other countries.

The primary objectives of Chandrayaan-1 are:

* To place an unmanned spacecraft in an orbit around the moon
* To conduct mineralogical and chemical mapping of the lunar surface
* To upgrade the technological base in the country

Chandrayaan-1 aims to achieve these well-defined objectives through high-resolution remote sensing of moon in the visible, near infrared, microwave and X-ray regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. With this, preparation of a 3-dimensional atlas of the lunar surface and chemical and mineralogical mapping of entire lunar surface is envisaged.

PSLV placed the Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft into a highly elliptical Transfer Orbit (TO) around the earth. Later, through a series of highly complex manoeuvres, the desired trajectories will be achieved. After circling the Earth in its Transfer Orbit, Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft will be taken into more elliptical 'Extended Transfer Orbits' by repeatedly firing its Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM) in a pr-determined sequence. Subsequently, the LAM is again fired to make the spacecraft to travel to the vicinity of the moon.

When it reaches the vicinity of the Moon and passes at a few hundred kilometers from it, its LAM is fired again so that the spacecraft slows down sufficiently to enable the gravity of the moon to capture it into an elliptical orbit.

Following this, the height of the spacecraft's orbit around the moon is reduced in steps. After a careful and detailed observation of the orbit perturbations there, the orbital height of Chandrayaan-1 will be finally lowered to its intended 100 km height from the lunar surface. Moon Impact Probe will be ejected from Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft at the earliest opportunity to hit the lunar surface in a chosen area.

Later, cameras and other scientific instruments are turned ON and thoroughly tested. This leads to the operational phase of the mission. This phase lasts for about two years during which Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft explores the lunar surface with its array of instruments that includes cameras, spectrometers and SAR.

The Payloads: There are 11 payloads (scientific instruments) through which Chandrayaan-1 intends to achieve its scientific objectives.

They include five instruments designed and developed in India, three instruments from European Space Agency (one of which is developed jointly with India and the other with Indian contribution), one from Bulgaria and two from the United States.

The Indian payloads of Chandrayaan-1 are:

Terrain Mapping Camera (TMC), a CCD camera that maps the topography of the moon, which helps in better understanding of the lunar evolution process.

Hyperspectral Imager (HySI), another CCD camera, is designed for mapping of the minerals on the lunar surface as well as for understanding the mineralogical composition of Moon's interior.

Lunar Laser Ranging Instrument (LLRI) provides necessary data for accurately determining the height of lunar surface features.

High Energy X-ray Spectrometer (HEX) is designed to help explore the possibility of identifying Polar Regions covered by thick water-ice deposits as well as in identifying regions of high Uranium and Thorium concentrations.

Moon Impact Probe (MIP) demonstrates the technologies required for landing a probe at the desired location on the moon. It is also intended to qualify some of the technologies related to future soft landing missions.

The six international payloads of Chandrayaan-1 are:

Chandrayaan-1 Imaging X ray Spectrometer (C1XS), an ESA payload and jointly developed by Rutherford Appleton Laboratory of England and ISRO Satellite Centre, Bangalore, intends is to carry out high quality mapping of the moon using X-ray fluorescence technique for finding the presnce of Magnesium, Aluminium, Silicon, Iron and Titanium distributed over the surface of the Moon.

Smart Near Infrared Spectrometer (SIR-2), another ESA payload, developed by Max Plank Institute of Germany, aims to study the lunar surface to explore the mineral resources and the formation of its surface features.

Sub kiloelectronvolt Atom Reflecting Analyser (SAR), the third payload from ESA, is built by Swedish Institute of Space Physics and Space Physics Laboratory of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Tiruvananthapuram. The aim of this instrument is to study the surface composition of the moon and the magnetic anomalies associated with the surface of the moon.

Radiation Dose Monitor (RADOM), a payload developed by Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, aims to characterise the radiation environment in a region of space surrounding the moon.

Mini Synthetic Aperture Radar (MiniSAR) is one of the two scientific instruments from the USA and is from Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory and Naval Air Warfare Centre, USA through NASA. MiniSAR is mainly intended for detecting water ice in the permanently shadowed regions of the lunar poles up to a depth of a few meters.

Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) is an imaging spectrometer from Brown University and Jet Propulsion Laboratory of the US through NASA, is intended to assess and map lunar mineral resources at high spatial and spectral resolution.

The Spacecraft: Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft weighed about 1380 kg at the time of its launch and is a 1.5 m cuboid with a solar panel projecting from one of its sides. The spacecraft is powered by a single solar panel generating electrical power of 700 W. A Lithium ion battery supplies power when the solar panel is not illuminated by the sun. To make Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft to travel towards the Moon, its Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM) is used. Liquid propellants needed for LAM as well as thrusters are stored onboard the spacecraft. Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft's Dual Gimballed Antenna transmits the scientific data gathered by its eleven scientific instruments to Earth.

Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft was built at ISRO Satellite Centre, Bangalore with contributions from Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) and ISRO Inertial Systems Unit (IISU) at Tiruvananthapuram, Space Applications Centre (SAC) and Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), Ahmedabad and Laboratory for Electro-optic Systems (LEOS), Bangalore.

The Ground Segment: The Ground facilities of Chandrayaan-1 perform the important task of receiving the health information as well as the scientific data from the spacecraft. It also transmits the radio commands to be sent to the spacecraft during all the phases of its mission. Besides, it processes and stores the scientific data sent by Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft.
ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) had a lead role in establishing the Ground Segment of Chandrayaan-1 with contributions from ISAC and SAC. The Ground Segment of Chandrayaan-1 consists of:

1. Indian Deep Space Network (IDSN)
2. Spacecraft Control Centre (SCC)
3. Indian Space Science Data Centre (ISSDC)

The Indian Deep Space Network receives the data sent by the Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft. Besides, it sends commands to the spacecraft at a power level of upto 20 kilowatts. IDSN consists of two large parabolic antennas - one with 18 m diameter and the other 32 m diameter - at Byalalu, situated at a distance of about 35 km from Bangalore. Of these the 32 m antenna with its 'seven mirror beam waveguide system', was indigenously designed, developed, built, installed, tested and qualified. The 18 m antenna can support Chandrayaan-1 mission, but the 32m antenna can support spacecraft missions well beyond Moon.
The Spacecraft Control Centre, located near the ISTRAC campus at Peenya, North of Bangalore, is the focal point of all the operational activities of Chandrayaan-1 during all the phases of the mission.
The Indian Space Science Data Centre forms the third element of Chandrayaan-1 ground segment. Also located at Byalalu, ISSDC receives data from IDSN as well as other external stations that support Chandrayaan-1, stores, processes, archives, retrieves and distributes scientific data sent by Chandrayaan-1 payloads to the user agencies. Source: Indian Space Research Organisation

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The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch ten satellites including country's latest remote sensing satellite and eight nano satellites (Monday April 28). The satellites to be lifted off from Sriharikota will be carried by Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle -PSLV-C9.

The cluster of satellites include the Indian Mini Satellite (IMPS-1) also. Latest remote sensing satellite CARTOSAT-2A, weighing about 690 kgs, carries a state-of-the-art panchromatic camera (PAN) which is capable of taking black-and-white pictures in visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum.

It would be used for mapping purposes and management of natural resources. The Indian Mini Satellite (IMS-1) developed by ISRO, weighing 83 kgs, also incorporates many technologies. It is an experimental remote sensing satellite, it would also be used as a platform for trying out advanced technology in the coming launches, officials said.

The eight nano satellites, built by universities and research institutions in Canada and Germany, are being launched under a commercial agreement. Of the eight nano satellites, six form a cluster called NLS-4. These satellites were built to test nano technologies for use in satellites.
The weight of these nano satellites vary from three to 16 kgs with a total weight of 50 kgs. "The launch campaign is progressing satisfactorily at Satish Dhawan Space Centre", ISRO officials said. The satellites were already integrated with the launch vehicle and the vehicle was moved to the second launch pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, they said.

The objective of the 'Indian human space flight' is to develop a space vehicle to carry a crew of two to low earth orbit and return safely to a pre-determined destination. The duration of the proposed mission is about a week.

There will be provision for emergency mission abort and crew rescue. The main task before ISRO is "man-rating" of indigenously built Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV), which would launch an autonomous orbital mission vehicle.

"The reliability of GSLV is 90 per cent. Man-rating means its reliability should be 99.99 per cent", the official said. Then facilities will have be established to train astronauts, besides designing of crew module. In January 2007, ISRO demonstrated India's capability in important technologies such as aero-thermo structures, deceleration and floatation systems, navigation, guidance and control, with the successful launch, in-orbit operation, re-entry and recovery of SRE-1 (space capsule recovery experiment).

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